RECAP: Cats give Devils their due after humbling 118-84 loss

INDIANAPOLIS -- This wasn't the way Reid Travis envisioned his first official game unfolding when he came to Kentucky this summer.

The Wildcats' graduate transfer forward had the same look of shock and awe that almost everyone in attendance Tuesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse wore on their faces in the aftermath of No. 4 Duke's 118-84 rout of No. 2 Kentucky in the highly anticipated season opener for both teams.

"It's tough when you go down like that," Travis said. "Obviously, we were all very excited and hyped up for that game, and it's kind of a blow to your chest... This hurt."

It marked Kentucky's worst loss since a 76-41 setback to LSU on Jan. 18, 1987, and the most lopsided in John Calipari's 27 years as a college head coach. Only four times has one of his teams suffered a 30-point loss in 924 games.

"I gotta give them credit," Calipari said of the Blue Devils. "I told Mike (Krzyzewski) after, I said, 'You guys played great.' They made shots, they passed the ball, they attacked at the rim. I mean, we only created four turnovers. Either they're a great handling team or we're not doing enough defensively.

"They were just better than us. I told (UK's players) I got outcoached, you guys got outplayed, we'll watch the tape and move on."

Duke was powered by its sensational freshman trio of R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish and Zion Williamson. They combined for 83 points on the night, almost outscoring the Wildcats' entire roster.

Barrett led the way with 33 points on 13-of-26 shooting from the field and knocked down three of the Blue Devils' 12 3-pointers. Williamson followed with 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting despite playing just under 23 minutes due to first-half foul trouble. Reddish added 22 points.

Another freshman, point guard Tre Jones, chipped in with six points, seven assists and no turnovers in 30:42 on the floor.

"Really proud of my guys," Krzyzewski said. "You start four freshmen, and no matter how talented they are, you don't know what they're going to do in this environment against an outstanding team and a great program. They responded. They were magnificent tonight."

The Blue Devils raced to a 32-11 lead early in the game. Kentucky shaved the deficit to 12 on one occasion and 13 on another but could get no closer. Duke pushed the margin back to 17 at the half, then opened the second half with a 15-5 run to put the game away.

Duke shot 54.4 percent from the field (43 of 79), including a 12-of-26 night from the 3-point line. The Blue Devils outscored UK by 24 from the arc.

Kentucky shot only 44.1 percent from the field (26 of 59) and was just 4-for-17 from deep.

The Cats were led by freshman wing Keldon Johnson with 23 points and Travis with 22. Freshman wing Tyler Herro added 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

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In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...

THE GOOD:

It's hard to put a good spin on this one from the Cats' perspective. It was as bad a night as UK has ever experienced in a high-profile game. Perhaps the value in losing one like this to begin the season is knowing exactly how much work it's going to take to reach your goals in March.

THE BAD:

Kentucky's sophomores were expected to give the Cats a big experience edge coming into this game, but PJ Washington, Quade Green and Nick Richards struggled throughout the night. They finished with only nine points between them on 3-for-12 shooting from the field, and Washington fouled out midway through the second half.

THE UGLY:

One has to wonder about the Cats' collective psyche after taking such a brutal loss to open the season. It will be interesting to see how UK bounces back from this one. It could take some time to repair the mental damage that Duke inflicted.

GAME BALL:

Zion Williamson, Duke -- Barrett scored more points for the Blue Devils, but no one embodied the way Duke bludgeoned UK like the 6-foot-7, 285-pound forward from Spartanburg, S.C. He looked like a pro playing against college kids.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1st - Loss by a Calipari UK squad in a season opener and the first time the Cats have been under .500 during his time in Lexington.

4-4 - The Cats' record in the Champions Classic.

12-10 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series with Duke.

15-4 - Turnovers for UK and Duke, respectively.

59 - Points in a half tied for the most UK has surrendered under Calipari in a half (Texas A&M, 2018).

7:44 - Time remaining in the second half when Duke hit the 100-point mark.

38-37 - Duke rebounding advantage, including a game-high 11 by reserve forward Jack White.

1926 - UK's previous worst loss in a season opener, falling 48-10 to Cincinnati.

QUOTABLE:

"I said we've all got to do some soul-searching and figure this out." -- UK head coach John Calipari

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Friday at Rupp Arena against Southern Illinois. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.